Monday, November 24, 2008

WK48 CHOOSING OUR NATIONAL LEADERS – NO ROOM FOR APATHY

CHOOSING OUR NATIONAL LEADERS – NO ROOM FOR APATHY

KEY VERSE: The lot is east into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
PROVERBS 16:33

SCRIPTURE LESSON: PROVERBS 16:1-4, 9, 23
PROVERBS 16:1 To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord come the reply of the tongue.
2 All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD
3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
4 The Lord works out everything for his own ends – even the wicked for a day of disaster.
PROVERBS 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD, determines his steps.

PROVERBS 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.

INTRODUCTION
The year 2008 is very crucial for the citizens of Ghana as we undertake Presidential and Parliamentary elections. In the January to June, 2008 issue of the Weekly Bible Lesson we concentrated on choosing our church leaders – the Bishops.

In this issue, our attention is focused on choosing our national leaders. This week we shall consider the issue of our participation in the elections. What principles should guide us in our participation as voters, pooling agents, party activists, or even as candidates.

EXPOSITION
Should a Christian vote in elections?
In our daily lives we make choices and take decisions. For the Christian decisions must be based on prayer and godly reflection knowing that God is ultimately the decider (Pr 16:1). This is the main theme of Proverbs 16. Man plans, but it is the Lord who speaks (Pr 16:1); the lot is cast (the votes are taken) but it is the Lord who decides (Pr. 16:33). Let us continue by explaining briefly our key verse: Proverbs ‘Lot’ was a means of deciding an issue or of determining the divine will in a matter. The use of the lot to determine doubtful matter is very old and the practice of casting lots was common among the nations in ancient times. These are some examples of lot casting:
Esther 3:7 – the lot was cast to select the most appropriate day for an event.
Jonah 1:7 – the sailors cast lots to know who was the cause of their problems on the sea.
Obadiah 11 – Lots were cast in sharing booty.
Nahum 3:10 – Lots were cast in sharing Jewish slaves
Matthew 27:35 – The soldiers cast lots to determine who took Jesus’ clothes at the crucifixion.
Its use among the Jews, generally with religious intend, is mentioned in determining the scapegoat (Lev. 16:8), distribution of the land of Palestine among the tribes (Nu 26:55; Jo 18:10); selecting men for an expedition (Jdg 1:1-3) determining a guilty person (Jos 7:1-4; Samuel 14:40-42); selecting the first King (1Sam 10:20-21); dividing the returned priest into twenty-four divisions (1Ch 24:3-5), and determining the service of the priests in the temple worship (Lk1:5-9)

We gather from these passages that lot casting was held in religious esteem by the covenant people, and its use to determine God’s will was usually accompanied by prayer (Jdg 1:1-3; Act 1:24-26). The equivalent of lots in our contemporary world is voting. The ‘Lot’ can be equated to the “ballot box”. From the foregoing we can see that the Christian should see vote casting not only as a civic duty but also a religious duty.

Secondly in casting his/her vote the Christian should not be swayed by racism, tribalism, political or religious biases but should seek the mind of God in Prayer.

Through prayer the Christian should be seeking to know from God which candidates will best serve the interest of the citizens in matters of socio-economic growth and national cohesion. This call to prayer is not without precedence. Confused and uncertain about England’s political future, Issac Watts was led by the Holy Spirit to write a prayer that has become a popular song; “O God our help in ages past” (see MHB 878). Let us follow his good example and God will help us in the present.

2. Can we trust the Ballot Box?
The use of the ballot box is to ensure that every individual qualified to vote expresses their individual decision through the secret ballot, which when put together gives an indication of what the majority has decided. We are aware that in some countries the ballot box has been openly abused. Non-transparent boxes have been used, ballot boxes have been tampered with, declared results have not agreed with collated results and many such vices have all occurred with the use of the ballot box. In spite of these observations the ballot box is still our best way of knowing what will of God for us is. Therefore, we shall be failing in our Christian duty if we fail to vote because of the abuse of the ballot box which we hear about in various places.

3. Should we refuse to vote because of unfulfilled expectations?
Many people are apathetic about elections because as they put it; “All politicians are the same and anyone who comes on will not be different.” The fact that you are a Christian means that you ought to take a position, so you should not sit on the fence. There is no neutrality before God, therefore pray, examine the issues, take a position and cast your vote. Only the Christian who wants to allow the possibility of someone who is not God’s choice to rule will not vote.

4. What can we do to ensure free and fair elections?
It is everybody’s responsibility to ensure that our trust in the ballot box is not betrayed. When parties win elections, they organize thanksgiving services because they believe God has chosen them. It is therefore important that everyone involved in the conduct of elections, including pooling agents, election officers, party activists, security personnel and the candidates themselves realize that it is their responsibility towards God and man to ensure free and fair elections. But you also have a responsibility to be vigilant.

5. What to do?
In some countries, it is an offence not to vote during national elections. We don’t have any such laws in Ghana, but it is your Christian and civic responsibility to vote on 7th December, 2008.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How is today’s passage relevant to the theme under discussion?
We saw earlier that the people had to cast lots to elect Saul as the first king of Israel. Why did Samuel do that when he knew that God has chosen Saul? What does that teach us about the Christian and election?
What are the many reasons people give for refusing to vote and how would you help them?
In order to have elections that reflect the choice of God for lus what issues do we have to be vigilant about?
What is the role of prayer in the conduct of free and fair elections?
What prayer topics will you focus on?

BIBLE LESSON APPLICATION
This week reflect on the insights gained from the study. What things will influence your attitude towards the national elections? List them, pray over them and share with group members.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Monday 1Samuel 10:20-21 The People choose their King
Tuesday Deuteronomy 33:1-5 Divine choice of King
Wednesday Deuteronomy 17:14-18 Choosing Best Leaders
Thursday Judges 9:7-20 A parables on choosing wisely
Friday Nehemiah 11:1-2 Choosing men to be with
Saturday Matthew 27:15-26 Choice of Jesus or Banabbas
Sunday Acts 1:24-26 Casting lots to determine God’s will

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

WK 46 ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ITS ATTRACTION

ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ITS ATTRACTION

KEY VERSE: Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler: whoever is led astray by them is not wise. PROVERBS 20:1

SCRIPTURE LESSON: PROVERBS 23:29-35
PROVERBS23:29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes.
30Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
31Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!
32In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things.
34You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”

INTRODUCTION
In the previous edition of the Weekly Bible Lesson, we wrote about Drub Abuse in Ghana and mentioned a number of drugs including cocaine, cannabis, alcohol and amphetamine. In this edition we focus on alcohol which is the most widely abused drug in Ghana.

EXPOSITION
The commonest alcoholic beverages are wine, brandy, whisky, various kinds of beer including stout beer. While these are commonly consumed in the towns and cities and among middle and upper class people, the lower classes and those in the villages consume palm wine or pito or akpeteshie. Alcohol is sold in almost every corner of cities, towns and villages in the country. Drinking “spots’ are springing up everywhere. These ‘spots’ are well decorated to make them attractive to people. A side attraction of the ‘spots’ is the sale of khebab. The target group of the operators of these spots is the young men and women.

ATTRACTIVENESS OF ALCOHOL
Prov. 23:31 clearly shows that wine or alcohol can be very attractive. It says: “Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly. (Remember that the words underlined used in advertising two popular alcoholic beverages in Ghana). This attractiveness has been used extensively by the manufacturers and distributors of various wines and alcoholic beverages to attract all categories of people, especially young adults. The following are the various ways in which people are attracted:

ADVERTISEMENTS: Alcohol advertisements on television screens are very appealing,
especially, to the youth. Young men and women are captured on the screens to
portray the picture that alcohol is very good to enjoy and the best drink to
celebrate with. The pictures are so attractive that young men and women are
are often tempted to go immediately for a drink.

DRINKING SPOTS: Some claim sitting at ‘drinking spots’ with ‘big’ men and women
in society to drink enhances their status. At the spots, and also during funeral,
young men and women try to identify themselves with these so called ‘big’
men and women, through drink, to show to others that they are also ‘big’

SEXUAL PERFORMANCE: The impression is also created that alcohol enhances
Sexual performance.

APPETITE FOR FOOD: It is a common thing these days to see men and women go for
A ‘tot’ before meals. They claim that it gives them the appetite to eat.

FALSE COURAGE: Some claim alcohol gives them the courage to speak in public
Without which they cannot perform, while others claim it helps them to forget
their sorrows and problems.

EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL
Let’s look at the effects of alcohol on an individual, his health, family and society at large. It is important to note that alcohol has no vitamins, fats, mineral, proteins or carbohydrates. Thus it has none of the elements essential for health. When alcohol is substituted for food, the body is deprived of essential nutrients and this leads to mal nutrition and vulnerability to diseases.

The truth is that alcohol has a lot of harmful effects on those who use it. Alcohol is a depressant drug of the central nervous system. It slows down the activity of the brain like thinking, reasoning and felling. It also slows down the system that controls the muscles like movement, speech and vision. Alcohol makes the liver to overwork and this can make it enlarged or inflamed (cirrhosis). Prolonged and excessive drinking can bring about brain damage resulting in permanent mental disorder in which the personality is very seriously disorganized (psychosis). Some chronic abusers of alcohol may eventually become impotent and may not recover even after they stop drinking. Blood sugar can also be lowered, causing hypoglycemia, which is common to heavy drinkers; fat accumulates, and the ‘beer belly’ develops after weeks. Thus alcohol can affect the body adversely.

Alcohol is often a contributing factor in crimes against people in society. Crimes such as assault, battery, murder and rape can be attributed to alcohol. Many road accidents leading to serious injuries or loss of lives are caused by drunken drivers. Thos who drink and drive are a threat to themselves and other road users.

THE WORD IN OUR LIVES
Akwetey was the last born of his parents, Mr. And Mrs. Quartey. He was a very brilliant boy and his parents were proud of him. They were determined to support their son in all his academic pursuits. He passed his Senior High School Examination and gained admission to the university to read medicine.

Mr. And Mrs. Quartey were Christians and they made sure their children were brought up with Christian principles. Whenever the children were on holidays, they had morning devotions together and they urged them to have their private quite times. Akwetey was a very good boy at the Sunday school. The teachers were eager to prepare him into become a Sunday School Teacher in the Church.

At the University, Akwetey had a television set in his room. The advertisement on alcohol on the TV screens so fascinated him that anytime he was in his room he did not want to miss the. At first he wondered what was in alcohol that made the young men and women on the screens enjoy it so much. On one occasion as he watched the television with a friend he asked him why those people dank alcohol with joy. The friend who had been consuming alcohol himself decided to ‘lecture’ Bright on alcohol and how it could enhance his image. He told Akwetey if he begins to drink it will give him the opportunity to sit with some ‘big men’ at the ‘spots’ to drink. Sooner, Akwetey was a regular visitor to a popular ‘spot’ near the university. He was surprised to see the number of young men and women who visited the ‘spot’ each evening.

Then Akwetey began drifting away from his books. Instead of spending time on them, he increased his visits to the ‘spot’ and spent time with friends. His performance in the semester’s examination was so poor that he lied to his parents that he was sick during the period. Back in school he began having fun not only with alcohol but with girls. One day as he left the spot to the university campus with his friends who were as drunk as he was they came face to face with some hooligans. A fight ensued and in the process Akwetey was stabbed in the stomach and was rushed to the hospital. When his parents visited him, he was ashamed that he had let them down. He told them how he was deceived by the advertisements on alcohol and how he was misled by his friend. He asked his parents to forgive him and pray for him.

Those who are deceived by alcohol are not wise. It destroys their power of reason and leads them like sheep to the slaughter house.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discuss today’s passage and relate it to the theme for the lesson.
What can the Church do to protect the youth and its members from the dangers of alcohol abuse.
Do you think stricter laws on alcohol advertising can reduce its consumption especially by young adults?
Would you advocate for a total ban on alcohol advertising? Why or why not?
Apart from the ‘spots’ and night clubs, in what other ways are people lulled into “social drinking.”


BIBLE LESSON APPLICATION
Identify an alcoholic in your locality. Share the word of God with him and tell him how the power the God can set him free. Share the outcome with you class/group.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Monday Proverbs 4:16-17 Alcohol leads to Violence
Tuesday Proverbs 21:16-18 Alcohol leads to Poverty
Wednesday Proverbs 31:1-7 Alcohol Perverts Judgment
Thursday Isaiah 5:10-12,22 Woe to the Alcoholic
Thursday Habakkuk 2:5 Alcohol leads people Astray
Saturday Ephesians 5:17-19 Alcohol leads to Debauchery

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

WK 45 THE JEWISH SLAVE GIRL IS A GOOD MISSIONARY

THE JEWISH SLAVE GIRL IS A GOOD MISSIONARY

SCRITURE LESSON: 2 kings 5:1-19A
2 KINGS 5: 1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
2 Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.
3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.
5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing.
6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God?
Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes: Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.
10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, was yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.
12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!
14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said. “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant.”
16 The prophet answered, “As surely as the LORD lives, whom I serve. I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
17 “If you will not,” said Naaman, please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the LORD.
18 But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also __ when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this.”
19 “Go in peace,” Elisha said. After Naaman had traveled some distance.

INTRODUCTION
In II Corinthians 5:11-21, Paul uses three key words to describe the mission to which God has called us. In verse 11, he describes our mission as people called to persuade men to come to Christ.
In verse 19, he describes our calling as ‘the ministry of reconciliation’.
In verse 20, Paul describes Christians as ‘ambassadors for Christ’.

An ambassador is one who represents his/her government in a foreign country. In the same way, a foreign missionary is one sent by his/her church to spread the gospel message in a foreign land.

In our study this week, we will see how a Jewish slave girl in a foreign land became the unofficial ambassador of her country in Syria, but more importantly served as the ambassador for Christ in a foreign land.

EXPOSITION
Leprosy in the Old Testament
Leprosy, which is a skin disease was considered in the Old Testament times as a punishment from God. For example, when Miriam became jealous of Moses, God punished her with leprosy (Num. 12). Lepers in Israel were outcasts and could not mingle with others in society. There was a stigma which was attached to the disease. When lepers were healed they had to offer various forms of sacrifices to cleanse them from their guilt or sin. This was the kind of disease that Naaman suffered from, and so, even though he was an army commander he was not happy. It affected the outlook of the family, and those in the government.

The Jewish Slave girl witnesses to her faith
Effective witnessing is derived from the concern which we have for the lost. The Jewish slave girl knew what was going on in the home. She knew the stigma associated with the disease and she knew how the whole family was worried about Naaman’s illness.

It is to be assumed that the girl had very good relationship with Naaman’s wife and so she could tell her of the power of the God she believed in. The whisper which she might have made to her mistress set of a chain off events which eventually led to the healing of Naaman. A few questions are: Had the girl ever met the Prophet Elisha? Had she ever seen Prophet Elisha heal anybody of leprosy? And yet, the girl demonstrated her faith in the God of Israel and His power to heal so she witnessed to her faith.

The girl’s witnessing sets off a chain of diplomatic events
The slave girl’s testimony probably given in the kitchen to her mistress set off the following series of diplomatic events
Naaman related the girl’s message to the king
The king of Aram sent a letter ordering the king of Israel to arrange for Naaman to be healed.
A disturbed king of Israel received information from the Prophet Elisha that Naaman be sent over to him.
You can never know how your simple testimony can be used by God to set off events that will change somebody’s destiny.

There is pride in the heart of man
Naaman’s reaction to the instructions given by the Prophet Elisha shows the pride that is in the heart of human beings. It didn’t matter that Naaman was suffering from the stigma of leprosy and had traveled all the way to Israel to be healed, he refused to follow the Prophet’s instructions. He was too big to be treated that way. There are many who cannot accept the Gospel message, which essentially says that, our salvation does not depend on what we do but on the finished work of Christ on the cross. Not until this pride is broken, the human heart cannot accept God’s salvation which is based on grace.

A group of servants persuade Naaman to humble himself.
The story of the healing of Naaman may be called the “story of the three servants”. The Jewish slave girl initiated the story through her witnessing in the home of Naaman. It had take a group of servants who traveled with Naaman to persuade him to swallow his pride and follow the instructions of the prophet to wash seven times in the river Jordan.

God’s chosen instruments are usually, the foolish, the weak, the lowly and the despised things of this world, so that no one may boast before him. (1Cor. 1:26-31). The third servant in the story is beyond our scope in this discussion, except to say that Gehazi the servant of the Prophet Elisha, who was supposed to know, better rather failed and destroyed himself through covetousness.

VI. Naaman confirms the slave girl’s testimony
The story began with the Jewish slave girl witnessing about the power of the God of Israel to heal. Naaman had to have the witness in himself, by acting on the slave girl’s message. After all the diplomatic wrangling, when he humbled himself, he gave his own personal testimony; “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel”. He now knew that the slave girls’ testimony was true.

Jesus can only be real to us, if we will take the step of faith and jump into the river as Naaman did to have our sins washed in the blood that flowed at Calvary.

VII. Naaman will practice his new found faith in his own culture.
At the end of the story, Naaman had to answer a very important question in cross-cultural missions, “How does he carry out his new found faith in the God of Israel when he returns to his own country?”

He solved the problem at two levels.
a. At the personal level, he decided that he would set up an altar with earth taken from Israel, and offer his own personal sacrifices to the God of Israel on the altar.
b. At official levels, he knew that he could not immediately throw away his position and relationship with the king, so he asked that God who knows his heart forgives him when he follows the King to the temple Rimmon, the god of Aram. The Prophet Elisha understood him and prayed for him, saying: “Go in peace”.
In cross-cultural missions, our first step is to enable the convert experience the touch of God at the personal level and God himself will direct them in terms of how to dispose of unacceptable practices;.

THE WORD IN OUR LIVES
The story of the slave girl witnessing to her faith in a foreign land poses many challenges to us as individuals and as a church. There are many people who begin well in their villages and towns, but when they travel out to the cities and other places outside their familiar zones, they have no witness. Sooner or later, their faith degenerates and attend church services only when they return to their villages on special occasions. They have no witnesses to give in their new place of abode. Unlike the slave girl, they are not missionaries.

The church also has to re-examine her approach to missions. The Methodist Church Ghana is essentially a Southern Ghana based church that has not made much impact on non-Akan speaking ethnic groups in the country. Our congregations outside the Akan-speaking zone have largely been chaplaincies taking care of Akan speaking Methodists in those areas. There has to be a new orientation and emphasis if we are to be the missionary church.

The same may be said of our congregations in Europe, and America. Are they centres that are witnessing to what God is doing in the Church in Africa, or are they mere chaplaincies? Christ has called us to be ambassadors, and an ineffective ambassador may have to be withdrawn, or recalled. Let us follow the slave girl’s example and become effective witnesses and missionaries.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What kind of atmosphere do you think existed in Naaman’s home and how could that have contributed to the effective witnessing of the slave girl?
The slave girl and Naaman’s servants had to overcome certain barriers in order to convince Naaman to have faith in God. How do we overcome such barriers as age, social class, ethnic differences in our witnessing?
In a pluralistic society such as ours (e.i. people have different religions and faiths etc) how can we effectively witness to the uniqueness of the Christian faith? What lessons do we learn from the Jewish slave girl?
Why do many people lose their faith and have no effective witness when they leave their hometowns and villages to the cities and foreign countries.
Discuss how the Methodist Church Ghana can be more mission-oriented outside her stronghold in the southern half of the country.

BIBLE LESSON APPLCATION
This week, identify someone in your neighborhood, or workplace or someone you meet who comes from a different ethnic group or follows a different religion and initiate a conversation that will lead to sharing your faith. Pray about it and follow it up
Report the results to your group.

DAILY BIBLE READING
Sunday Acts 4:8 The healing of the cripple in Jerusalem
Monday Acts 1:1-8 Becoming witness to the Lord
Tuesday 2Corinthians 5:17-21 Becoming ambassadors for Christ
Wednesday Colossians 4:2-6 Declaring the mystery of Christ.
Thursday 2Timothy 4:1-5 Preach the word.
Friday Genesis 18:20-27 Abraham pleads for Sodom.
Saturday Genesis 8:20-22 God establishes his people.

WK 45 JONAH III: THE UNHAPPY MISSIONARY

JONAH III: THE UNHAPPY MISSIONARY
SCRIPTURE LESSONS: JONAH 4:1-11
JONAH 4:11 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry.
2 He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to tar shish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.
3 Now, O LORD, take away my life, it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 But the LORD, replied, “Have you any right to be angry? “
5 Jonah went out and sat down at a place east o the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.
6 Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine.
7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered
8 When the sun arose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live. “
9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry about this vine? “ “I do,” he said.” I am angry enough to die.”
10 But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.
11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city? “

INTRODUCTION
In response to the preaching of Jonah, the people of Nineveh turned to God in repentance. The people were therefore spared the impending judgment. That should have caused Jonah to shout “Praise the Lord “instead Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry (Jh 4:1). He launched into prayer to complain to God. In the prayer Jonah revealed why he had fled to tar shish. He acknowledged God as a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity (Jon 4:2). In other words Jonah was saying to God, “I knew you would do this. I was sure you would manifest your love to the Ninevites in such away that they could resist you.” After all that Jonah had been through and his experience of the love and mercy of God, one would have thought that he would not fail show concern for those who needed a life changing experience with the Lord.

Why Jonah Complained
Prejudice and selfishness blinded Jonah’s spiritual vision, causing him to complain against God rather than praise him. Such a negative attitude could only result in a state of depression and misery which caused the prophet to pray: Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live (Jh 4:3). He would rather die than to live to see the Ninevites pardoned by God. It was quite obvious that Jonah had broken fellowship with God because of his prejudice and anger

In the days following the revival in Nineveh. Thousands had repented and turned to the Lord, but spiritually they were newborn babes who needed guidance and teaching in spiritual and moral matters. They were like sheep without a shepherd. Jonah was the shepherd but he had deserted them in that crucial time of need. He settled outside the city in the little shelter he had made, apparently to wait and see what would become of the city. In spite of the revival, Jonah was hoping that God would pour his judgment on the city. By following his selfish desires Jonah still expected doom for the city.

Misplaced Affection Jonah
He was more concerned with his comfort zone than the fate of the city. Jonah’s selfishness led him to have compassion for a vine which grew up overnight and died overnight. Just because it had sheltered him and made him comfortable and glad, he became more concerned about it. Jonah’s affection had been misplaced. The Lord compared Jonah’s compassion for the vine with his own compassion toward the people of Nineveh. The prophet should have realized that Nineveh was not just a plant springing up overnight, but a great city with people and even animals precious to the Lord.

The Ninevites experienced God’s fatherly compassion and concern which extended even to animals. The commission God gave to Jonah displayed his mercy and passion to the Ninevites, and God’s final word to Jonah emphatically proclaimed his concern for every creature. Really God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires rather that they turn from their ways and live (Ezek 33:11: 18:21-23).

Jonah and his countrymen traditionally rejoiced in God’s special mercies to Israel but wished only his wrath on their enemies. In the end God rebuked such heartless and selfish attitude and declared his “gracious benevolence”. The mercy, as well as the sovereignty of God is projected.

Why Jonah was angry
Some claim that Jonah was angry because
His experiences had brought him to the point of nervous exhaustion and extreme irritability.
The salvation of Nineveh meant the future destruction of Israel.
Jonah’s pride was hurt, his dignity offended. God had made a fool of him and he had become a laughingstock.
His reputation as a prophet was irreparably damaged. Surely he would be called a false prophet, a liar, a deceiver, and would be ridiculed and denounced for prophesying something which did not occur.

In spite of the above suggestions it may be concluded that Jonah’s anger was caused by the frustration of his own will. It was his own anger that made him miserable. He was angry that God would have compassion on an enemy of Israel. He wanted God’s goodness to be shown only to Israel not to Gentiles.

THE WORD IN OUR LIVES
One cannot help feeling sorry for Jonah. It seems ridiculous to see the prophet of God in grief and dejection because an ungodly nation had turned to the Lord. But this sin is not uncommon today. There have been instances of rivalry and cold war between evangelists and pastors. One becomes disturbed because the other is being used in greater way to lead souls to Christ. Sometimes some pastors become jealous of one another as God seems to exercise a greater measure of usefulness through one man than he does through another. We are familiar with instances of lay men and women on fire for God, winning souls for Christ, while others stand back and criticize.

At the root of all this is the sin of jealousy. Jonah was jealous because the people of Nineveh, who had been hated and despised by the Jews for their extreme wickedness and idolatry, were now standing equal with the Jews in their worship of the one supreme God. It is difficult to understand why a true follower of God can be jealous because an unbeliever has come to believe and serve the Lord. Jealous stamps out concern for others, leaving room only for love of self. The jealous heart is completely insensible to the love of God. The heart devoid of God’s love is without a burden and concern for the lost. It has no vision or purpose. The Lord Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and so soul winning must be the principal interest of all believes in Christ.

Consider the appeal of the following hymn: MHB 338 CAN 99
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Discussion Questions
Compare Jonah’s attitude with that of the attitude of the older son in the parables of the lost son in Luke 15:11-31. What are the similarities? Assess the prevalence of this attitude in the church.
Why do some believers become jealous when God’s favour is poured on those who in their thinking do not deserve it? How can we avoid this?
The story of Jonah ends with God’s concern for the great city of Nineveh (Jonah 4:11). What is the implication of this for ministry in the urban areas?
Discuss what your church or bible study group can do about the salvation of the people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, who live in your village, town or city.
Today’s lesson teaches also that Christians should rejoice in all that is good, even if it does not benefit them directly. Give examples of such instances in the life of your church or community.

BIBLE LESSON APPLICATION
This week think about an unbeliever in your community. Pray for the person, and share with him/her what Christ means to you. Discuss your experience with your study group.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Monday Jonah 4:1-11
Tuesday Ezekiel 18:21-23
Wednesday Ezekiel 33:1-11
Thursday Psalm 37:1-10
Friday Luke 15:1-7
Saturday Luke 15:8-10
Sunday Luke 15: 11-31

WK 43 JONAH II: THE RELUCTANT MISSIONARY

KEY VERSE: Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3. Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city- a visit required three days. JONAH 3:1, 2.

SCRIPTURE LESSON: JONAH CHAPTER 2&3
JONAH 2: 1. From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
2 He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
1. You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
2. I said, ‘ I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’
3. The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surround me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
4. To the roots of the mountains I sank down: the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.
5. “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to your holy temple.
6. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
7. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.”
8. And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

JONAH 3:1. Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
1. “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
2. Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city- a visit required three days.
3. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaim: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.”
4. The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
5. When the news reached the king of the Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.
6. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast. Herd or flock. Taste anything: do not let them eat or drink.
7. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
8. Who knows? God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring them the destruction he had threatened.

INTRODUCTION
Last week we studied how Jonah, commissioned by God to preach to the people of Nineveh. Decided to go on a different assignment to tar shish (Jonah 1: 3). God could have ignored Jonah and chosen a different person to perform the assignment but he had a specific agenda for Jonah. In God’s own sovereign will he passed Jonah through a series of circumstances to make him willing to undertake the very assignment he had dodged. Jonah went through the following:
Jonah was able to pay the fare to tar shish.
The ship Jonah boarded had a tempest on the sea
Jonah was brought before the captain of the ship.
Jonah made a confession to the captain
Jonah was thrown into the sea.
God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah.
After three days and three nights Jonah was vomited upon the land.

Jonah learnt his lesson in the hard way. God’s agenda for us may be slightly different from that of Jonah, but we may learn from his experience.

THE WORD IN OUR LIVES
A pastor was posted to one of the remotest areas in the country. Most of his friends who heard of the posting were very unhappy about the pastor’s posting; some even advised him to refuse his posting and tender in his resignation. The pastor’s congregation was not happy either, considering the fact that he had started to build anew chapel.

Apart from these facts, the people of his station were said to be hostile to visitors: the road network was bad and basic necessities like water and electricity were absent.

Just as the pastor was about to write a resignation letter, he saw a sheet of paper on which was printed his ministerial vow. A sentence which came to his attention was: “Will you be willing to serve the church wherever you will be needed?” ‘I will’. The pastor could not sleep and after struggling with his conscience, he decided to obey God.
When the pastor and his well-wishers arrived at his new station, they were welcomed by a delegation among who was his classmate at school. He and his mate embraced each another and engaged in conversation to the admiration of all the people present. The people at the new station proved to be affable, co-operative and warm.

He won many souls for Christ at the new station. Church attendance increased; he started a double service and new churches were opened at the outstations. God blessed his endeavours. “If I had listened to my friends and refused my station I would not have seen the hand of God”, he declared.

In the work of missions, we need to submit to the directives of the Director of Operations, who id God. He knows where the field is most ripe for harvest. Moreover we should throw away our prejudices and proclaim, in faith, the word of truth. Who would have thought that Nineveh, a pagan city to the core, would repent in the way they did.

The experiences of Jonah made him willing to go in the end… and what a fruit! Do we need unpleasant experiences to help us put our will in line with the Lord? It is most unnecessary!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What excuses do people give for not evangelizing?
Does God always allow unpleasant circumstances in our lives in order to help us put our will in line with his? Explain your answer.
“The Holy Spirit does the conversion; it is our duty to proclaim the message”. How Jonah 3 does: 1-10 support this statement?
Give testimonies that illustrate the lessons taught by today’s study: God does not make us go against our will; he only makes us willing to go. Highlight the results that have occurred in the instances cited.

BIBLE LESSON APPLICATION
This week during your time of devotion, reflect on your life to see whether you have ever had Jonah’s experience at your level. Resolve in prayer to be always obedient to the Lord.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Monday 2Kings 7:9-15 the responsibility for evangelism
Tuesday Genesis 12:1-11 Abraham – A Missionary
Wednesday Acts 1: 1-8 you are my witnesses
Thursday Matthew 12: 38-41 Greater than Jonah
Friday John 4:40-42 The Woman evangelists
Saturday Mathew 24:46-51 Faithful of God

WK 42 JONAH – 1: THE MAN WHO WAS OPPOSED TO MISSIONS

JONAH – 1: THE MAN WHO WAS OPPOSED TO MISSIONS

SCRIPTURE LESSON: JONAH 1:1-17
JONAH 1:1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:
2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.
But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish.”
7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” Hey cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us?
What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”
10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
13 Instead, men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.
14 Then they cried to the LORD, “O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased.”
15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.
16 At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.
17 But the LORD provided a great fish to sallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

INTRODUCTION
The Church as the Body of Christ is required to carry out the mandate and mission of Christ. As we celebrate the 270th anniversary of John Wesley’s Alders gate experience which ushered in the evangelical Awakening in England, sparking off missions in the world, we need to brace ourselves for missions and make sure that all Jonahs among us respond to Christ’s call “to go and make disciples of all nations” (Mt. 28:19).

Jonah is often called ‘the disobedient prophet/preacher’ for refusing to heed God’s call to go to Nineveh to preach the message of repentance to them.

EXPOSITION
The prophet Jonah, son of Amittai was from Gath-hepher in Galilee. Jonah and Jesus were the only prophets from Galilee. But Jonah was disobedient while Jesus was obedient. God sent Jonah to the city of Nineveh, capital of the ancient empire of Assyria. The Assyrians were very wicked people. They were noted for the act of flaying people – that is, skinning people alive.

Jonah decided to run away from the Lord. His reason was that God was a merciful God who could change his mind and not punish the Ninevites. If that happened Jonah would be put to shame. So he headed for Tar shish (Spain) and went down to Joppa (modern-day Tel Aviv) on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

The prophet’s thoughts were rather childish. He thought that God was in Israel alone and so if he fled to another place he could ‘dodge’ God but the Lord is omnipresent. We say in Akan: Wo dwane Nyame a wo hye n’ase – that is, “if you run away from God, you are still under him”.

In Ghana, the Methodist Church has some mission areas like the Ga Rural Mission in the Accra Diocese, Gwira Mission in the Sekondi Diocese, Mo-Dega in the Wenchi Diocese, Afram Plains in the Koforidua Diocese and other difficult areas like the Volta Region and the Northern Ghana Mission Diocese. It is not easy to work in these areas but the church must labour in these parts also because God loves the people there and the Master has need of them too. Ministers and other church workers sent to these areas sometimes feel reluctant to go. But those who heed the Lord’s call and work well will be blessed by the Lord in this life and in the next.

WORD IN OUR LIVES
Who are the Jonahs of our time? If a minister is transferred from one station to another by the hierarchy of the Church and he refuses, is he/she not a Jonah? And if his church members protest against his transfer thereby aiding and abetting, are they not little Jonas’s. If a local preacher refuses to honour his/her preaching appointment at a place he/she does not like, is he/she not behaving like Jonah. If a minister to a station backbites his predecessor or “destroys” his successor to the congregation before he leaves for another place, does he not have the Jonah spirit? If God is calling someone into the full-time (ordained) ministry or the evangelist order and he is refusing, is he not a Jonah? Similarly, if the Spirit of the Lord is telling you to give money or materials in support of kingdom business, and you refuse, are you not another Jonah? If God is calling you to offer yourself for a task in the church, like being a Class Leader, a Local Preacher, a Sunday School Teacher, a Counselor, a Society/Circuit Steward and you keep on turning down the offer, are you not a Jonah? If we fail to pay our tithes, our Methodist Development Fund (MDF) levies, our harvest contributions and refuse to patronize other fund-raising activities which will support church’s missionary endeavours, are we not Jonahses? May the good Lord deliver us from this rebellious and unproductive spirit of Jonah. “Answer quickly when He calleth, Here am I, send me, send me!”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What could be Jonah’s reason for try to flee to Tarshish?
Jonah invested his resources wrongly – paying the ship fare to Tarshish – instead of going to Nineveh. What are some of the wrong ways we invest our resources?
God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh but Jonah went the opposite direction – to Tarshish. What are some of the ways in which we go the opposite direction to God’s leading?
What does Jonah in the belly of the fish for three (3) days and three (3)nights typify/illustrate?
Identify a place which you consider very difficult to evangelize. Give your reasons for choosing that place. How can the church or individuals plan a mission to such a difficult place?

BIBLE LESSON APPLICATION
This week, examine yourself to see whether you have been acting as Jonah. Resolve in prayer to obey God’s call to your mission.
Share the gospel with at least one person.
Share the outcomes with your group.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Monday Exodus 3:7-13 Excuses of Weakness
Tuesday Isaiah 6:1-6 A Man of Unclean Lips
Wednesday Jeremiah 1:1-6 don’t know how to speak
Thursday Judges 6:11-13 Who Am I
Friday Matthew 25:41-46 there is No Need
Saturday Luke 14:16-20 I Don’t Have Time
Sunday Jonah 1:1-4 Jonah